Navigating COVID-19: Unraveling Variants, Boosters, and the Role of the CDC with Dr. William Choctaw

100:00:00,521 --> 00:00:02,444Speaker 1: Welcome to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise 200:00:02,544 --> 00:00:08,102podcast with Dr William Choctaw,mdjd. Our mission is to empower300:00:08,102 --> 00:00:11,930you with the knowledge and the tools you need to thrive in all 400:00:12,131 --> 00:00:16,225aspects of your life. Join us now as we discuss everything 500:00:16,306 --> 00:00:19,862from nutrition and exercise to money management and personal 600:00:19,882 --> 00:00:24,772growth. Dr Choctaw will provide insightful advice on how to 700:00:24,814 --> 00:00:28,103improve your physical and financial health, as well as 800:00:28,143 --> 00:00:31,501your emotional and mental well-being. Whether you're 900:00:31,521 --> 00:00:35,976looking to boost your energy levels, unlike financial freedom1000:00:35,976 --> 00:00:40,268or cultivate a more positive mindset, we've got you covered. 1100:00:41,899 --> 00:00:45,941Get ready to become the best version of yourself, so let's 1200:00:45,981 --> 00:00:50,368get started. Here's Dr William Chokta, mdjd. 1300:00:51,140 --> 00:00:55,149Speaker 2: I'm Dr William Choctaw and I will be your host 1400:00:55,289 --> 00:01:00,088today. These podcasts are part of our Leadership Master Class 1500:01:00,149 --> 00:01:04,989series and each month, what we hope to do is we strive to 1600:01:05,049 --> 00:01:09,061provide you, with our listeners,with mental, physical and 1700:01:09,100 --> 00:01:13,930spiritual strength by giving action, advice, tips, guidance 1800:01:14,090 --> 00:01:18,346and information to help you achieve your own personal, 1900:01:18,486 --> 00:01:24,424professional and spiritual goals. We consider the health and the2000:01:24,424 --> 00:01:31,757mind, body and spirit paramountas a single unit that provides 2100:01:31,859 --> 00:01:36,368a cumulative strength greater than the individual parts to 2200:01:36,489 --> 00:01:42,125strengthen the whole person. So sit back and go with us on 2300:01:42,186 --> 00:01:48,725another exciting journey. The title of our discussion today 2400:01:48,926 --> 00:01:54,501about podcasts today is Most people can wait to get the COVID2500:01:54,501 --> 00:02:00,769booster. What to know about Eris, the latest coronavirus 2600:02:00,829 --> 00:02:05,423strain? Let me say that again. Most people who are vaccinated 2700:02:05,983 --> 00:02:11,439can wait to get their COVID booster shot this year. What you2800:02:11,439 --> 00:02:16,128should know about the latest virus and the latest variant, 2900:02:16,409 --> 00:02:23,860eris E-R-I-S, and how it relatesto the coronavirus today. I 3000:02:23,920 --> 00:02:28,106believe knowledge is power. I believe life is about service to3100:02:28,106 --> 00:02:33,281others. I believe leaders can change the world. As an outline 3200:02:33,421 --> 00:02:37,530we always like to have for you, we're going to talk about the 3300:02:37,689 --> 00:02:42,667coronavirus COVID-19. When I sayCOVID-19 and coronavirus, I'm 3400:02:42,807 --> 00:02:45,201using those terms interchangeably. I don't want 3500:02:45,222 --> 00:02:50,061that to be confusing, or I may just call it the virus, each one3600:02:50,061 --> 00:02:53,352of those titles. I'm talking about the coronavirus or 3700:02:53,372 --> 00:02:58,520COVID-19, or the virus that caused the pandemic. But as part3800:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,592of our, I remember going to talk about Dr Fauci and just 3900:03:01,652 --> 00:03:06,328give him his due for his outstanding work in this field 4000:03:06,448 --> 00:03:09,705for the last four years. We're going to give an overview of our4100:03:09,705 --> 00:03:13,715COVID-19 pandemic and the Omicron variant specifically 4200:03:13,879 --> 00:03:16,669leading to the most recent variant that we're dealing with.4300:03:16,669 --> 00:03:24,413We're going to define what Eris, e-r-i-s or E-G.5, the latest 4400:03:24,594 --> 00:03:29,846variant is and how it's similar and different from the original 4500:03:29,966 --> 00:03:33,682Omicron a couple of years ago. And we're going to talk about 4600:03:33,703 --> 00:03:38,600prevention and how we still needto do some basic things to make4700:03:38,600 --> 00:03:44,671sure that we are healthy and able to continue on with our 4800:03:44,812 --> 00:03:48,685activity and that those that we come in contact with our family,4900:03:48,685 --> 00:03:53,143friends and coworkers also remain healthy. This particular 5000:03:53,163 --> 00:03:57,342masterclass, as we deal with theCOVID pandemic and this is the 5100:03:57,383 --> 00:04:00,491first time that we've dealt withthe pandemic as a masterclass 5200:04:01,020 --> 00:04:04,205we have given many discussions and many lectures over the last 5300:04:04,286 --> 00:04:09,905four years, both in person and on Zoom, but we're primarily 5400:04:09,944 --> 00:04:14,237talking about the pandemic and bringing you up to date with a 5500:04:14,618 --> 00:04:18,142status report, if you will, and the good news to start off with 5600:04:18,223 --> 00:04:22,560is that most people in this country are vaccinated. Most 5700:04:22,579 --> 00:04:26,242people in this country are vaccinated. Yes, we still do 5800:04:26,343 --> 00:04:31,012have some anti-vaxxers who are not vaccinated, but fortunately 5900:04:31,653 --> 00:04:35,901they're in a smaller minority than they used to be, and that 6000:04:35,980 --> 00:04:42,266is good news both for us and forthem. Let me just make a quick 6100:04:42,367 --> 00:04:46,163note about Dr Anthony Fauci. I think he is one of the most 6200:04:46,264 --> 00:04:50,242outstanding medical leaders in the world and I think he has 6300:04:50,341 --> 00:04:55,572exemplary proved himself in thatrespect about his work with the6400:04:55,572 --> 00:05:01,689pandemic, with COVID-19, datingback from 2020 all the way to 6500:05:02,071 --> 00:05:06,961present day. I consider him the father of epidemiology and I 6600:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,382think he's an extraordinary leader. And because much of 6700:05:10,442 --> 00:05:13,930these podcasts are about leadership, I think Dr Anthony 6800:05:13,990 --> 00:05:17,904Fauci exemplifies that extraordinary leadership that we6900:05:17,904 --> 00:05:22,221all should strive to be. He is a tireless worker, he is 7000:05:22,321 --> 00:05:26,545committed to helping others and I think he's done an 7100:05:26,605 --> 00:05:30,358extraordinary service not only to this country but to the 7200:05:30,379 --> 00:05:36,302entire world. So kudos to you, dr Fauci. When we think about a 7300:05:36,343 --> 00:05:40,232virus and I don't want to get into too much detail basically 7400:05:40,519 --> 00:05:45,661we humans are made up of cells C-E-L-L. Think of a cell as a 7500:05:45,762 --> 00:05:50,391round organism that carries out certain functions on the inside,7600:05:50,391 --> 00:05:54,704and we actually are composed ofbillions of cells throughout 7700:05:54,841 --> 00:05:59,367our body that operate in an extraordinary accuracy and an 7800:05:59,468 --> 00:06:03,487extraordinary manner, and it keeps all of the functions 7900:06:04,130 --> 00:06:07,622moving as they should so that wecan do the things we need to do8000:06:07,622 --> 00:06:14,273. What happens, though, is that if that cell is attacked by, say8100:06:14,273 --> 00:06:19,865, a virus, and a cell is one particular size, a virus is much8200:06:19,865 --> 00:06:24,783smaller than the cell itself, and one of the ways that the 8300:06:25,125 --> 00:06:31,139COVID-19 virus again the coronavirus attacks our cells is8400:06:31,139 --> 00:06:35,302through a spike that's on the cell. A spike is just something 8500:06:35,324 --> 00:06:38,641that sticks out from the cell wall, and the virus is able to 8600:06:38,701 --> 00:06:44,692attach that spike, insert its genetic material into the cell 8700:06:45,279 --> 00:06:50,543and then change the character ofthat cell itself. So a lot of 8800:06:50,642 --> 00:06:56,273the treatment, ie the vaccines that have been developed to kill8900:06:56,273 --> 00:07:00,607the virus or at least to neutralize the virus, deal with 9000:07:01,468 --> 00:07:06,283issues to prevent the virus frombeing able to either attach to 9100:07:06,322 --> 00:07:11,151the cell the normal cell, or to insert its genetic material into9200:07:11,151 --> 00:07:14,887that normal cell. If the virus cannot do that, it will 9300:07:15,069 --> 00:07:18,701ultimately die. And again, keep in mind and I just want you to 9400:07:18,721 --> 00:07:21,793remember something real basic the whole purpose of the virus 9500:07:21,973 --> 00:07:25,786is to feed. The virus wants to eat, it wants to live, it wants 9600:07:25,805 --> 00:07:30,519to survive. It does that by feeding on human cells, and so 9700:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,848what we want to do is not be thesource of food for the virus, 9800:07:35,408 --> 00:07:39,783because during that process of feeding on humans, it also ends 9900:07:39,944 --> 00:07:45,052up killing us, and so, for us tosurvive, the virus must be 10000:07:45,093 --> 00:07:48,485destroyed. To show the damage that has occurred with the 10100:07:48,565 --> 00:07:53,442coronavirus pandemic, over the last four years, mortality or 10200:07:53,521 --> 00:07:59,052deaths from the virus has significantly moved up as number10300:07:59,052 --> 00:08:03,769two on the list of the most common causes of deaths for 10400:08:03,869 --> 00:08:08,040humans. Presently in this country, the first cause is 10500:08:08,180 --> 00:08:11,853heart disease. Then it used to be cancer going all the way down10600:08:11,853 --> 00:08:15,805to kidney disease. Now it's heart disease, covid-19 10700:08:16,225 --> 00:08:20,192coronavirus cancer, going all the way down to kidney disease. 10800:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,487It just gives you an idea and puts in perspective the number 10900:08:23,528 --> 00:08:27,064of people who are no longer withus as a result of this virus, 11000:08:27,124 --> 00:08:31,601and it just makes us even more determined and more committed to11100:08:31,601 --> 00:08:37,563take care of ourselves and alsotake care of others. One of the11200:08:37,563 --> 00:08:42,312things that's unique about a virus, or that's challenging 11300:08:42,351 --> 00:08:46,003about a virus, is that viruses change. They can change their 11400:08:46,083 --> 00:08:50,173structure, they can change the way they operate, and that 11500:08:50,253 --> 00:08:55,048really helps them to survive. Toput it another way, that makes 11600:08:55,128 --> 00:09:00,001it difficult for us to create vaccines or other types of 11700:09:00,042 --> 00:09:03,993medications to either destroy the virus or neutralize the 11800:09:04,033 --> 00:09:08,586virus, and one of the ways that it can do that is that it has 11900:09:08,625 --> 00:09:14,019the ability to change to what wecall mutate, to actually change12000:09:14,019 --> 00:09:18,248its form and function. And so Iwill use a number of other 12100:09:18,307 --> 00:09:23,663terms like variant. Variant is the same thing that I will say 12200:09:23,744 --> 00:09:28,033when I'm talking about a change.When a virus changes, it then 12300:09:28,092 --> 00:09:32,587becomes a variant of its original cell. Another term that12400:09:32,587 --> 00:09:36,381means the same thing is change is mutation. When a virus 12500:09:36,522 --> 00:09:41,530mutates, that means the virus changes Again, make it easier 12600:09:41,611 --> 00:09:46,086for it to survive and make it more difficult for it to be 12700:09:46,125 --> 00:09:50,520destroyed by medication or othertypes of methods. So keep that 12800:09:50,581 --> 00:09:54,688in mind. So remember that the coronavirus, or the pandemic, 12900:09:54,828 --> 00:10:01,506began roughly early 2020. Okay, we're now in 2023. So we're in 13000:10:01,527 --> 00:10:05,960the fourth year. Back when the virus first started, it was a 13100:10:06,080 --> 00:10:12,590certain way structurally and physiologically, but that virus 13200:10:12,811 --> 00:10:18,283of 2020 has significantly changed by the time we get to 13300:10:18,423 --> 00:10:24,418now in 2023. And it's changed infunction and it's changed in 13400:10:24,479 --> 00:10:28,288structure. One of those changes,so one of those variants. So 13500:10:28,368 --> 00:10:32,322one of those mutations, if you will, is a mutation called 13600:10:32,543 --> 00:10:38,575Omicron. Now, these mutations are all part of the Greek 13700:10:38,715 --> 00:10:43,384alphabet. Omicron is one of the big changes, the big variations,13800:10:43,384 --> 00:10:50,301the big mutations of the COVID-19 virus of 2020, the 13900:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,475pandemic virus and Omicron virushad a number of different 14000:10:54,517 --> 00:10:57,283changes and a number of different mutations that made it14100:10:57,283 --> 00:11:00,130particularly stand out throughout the world. Remember, 14200:11:00,171 --> 00:11:04,827pandemic is an infection of the entire world and the Omicron was14300:11:04,827 --> 00:11:09,864particularly frustrating and itindeed spurned a lot of 14400:11:09,945 --> 00:11:14,797different changes and mutations and variants, if you will. So 14500:11:14,876 --> 00:11:21,133we're still dealing with some ofthe variants of Omicron. So one14600:11:21,133 --> 00:11:24,280of the various variants that we're dealing with the most 14700:11:24,380 --> 00:11:30,330recent one that we're dealing with in 2023, is a variant 14800:11:30,629 --> 00:11:37,292called Eris, e-r-i-s. Again, eris is a name for and I'm not 14900:11:37,331 --> 00:11:40,061sure where all these names come from, but it's the name of a 15000:11:40,140 --> 00:11:44,490Greek goddess, and this was the goddess of discord, like it's an15100:11:44,490 --> 00:11:47,784appropriate name, and so that'sthe name of the most recent 15200:11:48,405 --> 00:11:54,282variant, or strain, if you will,or mutation, if you will, of 15300:11:54,302 --> 00:11:58,109the COVID-19 virus. So we're going to talk about the most 15400:11:58,229 --> 00:12:03,024recent mutation change, a variant of the COVID-19 virus, 15500:12:03,625 --> 00:12:08,058and this recent mutation is called Eris, and one of the ways15600:12:08,058 --> 00:12:11,730we're going to do this to make it simpler and easier to 15700:12:11,809 --> 00:12:15,321understand, is I'm going to do it in terms of first asking a 15800:12:15,360 --> 00:12:19,416question and then answering the question to try to add even more15900:12:19,416 --> 00:12:22,144clarity. I realize that everybody may not be into the 16000:12:22,184 --> 00:12:26,980science and the biochemistry et cetera, but it is important and 16100:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,892knowledge is power, and the moreyou understand about this, the 16200:12:29,932 --> 00:12:33,265more you could appreciate the importance of having to do the 16300:12:33,306 --> 00:12:37,861things you need to do. So let's look at the first question how 16400:12:37,923 --> 00:12:43,157prevalent is Eris? Another word for it, name for Eris is EG.5, 16500:12:43,236 --> 00:12:47,225but we'll call it Eris. That's easy to remember. How prevalent 16600:12:47,566 --> 00:12:53,302is Eris, the latest coronavirus sub variant? How common is it? 16700:12:53,363 --> 00:12:57,977How big is it? How much impact does it have? Actually, about 16800:12:58,038 --> 00:13:04,46520% of the new cases in August of this year 2023, are felt to 16900:13:04,636 --> 00:13:09,506be caused by Eris, and this is the last two weeks of August, 17000:13:09,527 --> 00:13:12,759the last two to three weeks of August. And why that's important17100:13:12,759 --> 00:13:15,104is that we've noticed that during the month of August of 17200:13:15,124 --> 00:13:22,3632023, the number of cases of coronavirus are beginning to 17300:13:22,503 --> 00:13:26,518increase, are beginning to increase, and of those cases 17400:13:26,538 --> 00:13:30,422that are beginning to increase, eris, the most recent variant, 17500:13:31,101 --> 00:13:37,850is dominant, but it's about 20% of cases. Another question how 17600:13:37,970 --> 00:13:41,738is eras different from other recent coronavirus strains? 17700:13:43,346 --> 00:13:48,062Actually, eras is quite similar to the other coronavirus strains17800:13:48,062 --> 00:13:50,469and there have been a lot of them over the last four years, 17900:13:50,970 --> 00:13:53,998and that's a good thing. And thereason why that's a good thing 18000:13:54,325 --> 00:14:00,215is it makes the ability of the scientists to develop a vaccine 18100:14:00,716 --> 00:14:07,092that will kill or paralyze eras more likely, because it is not 18200:14:07,192 --> 00:14:09,977too different. It does not appear to be at present too 18300:14:10,057 --> 00:14:14,251different than the other variants of mutations that we've18400:14:14,251 --> 00:14:20,245had of the coronavirus. We're more likely than not that we're 18500:14:20,285 --> 00:14:24,855more optimistic about being ableto come up with a vaccine that 18600:14:24,914 --> 00:14:28,894can protect us against the horrible parts of this 18700:14:28,953 --> 00:14:32,004particular mutation of the coronavirus, and we'll talk 18800:14:32,184 --> 00:14:36,875about this a little later. Now there are other variants that 18900:14:36,914 --> 00:14:39,927have come along other than Omicron, but most of them have 19000:14:39,989 --> 00:14:44,322not been as large nor have they been as impactful as Omicron. 19100:14:44,563 --> 00:14:47,070And some of these other variantshave been alpha, they've been 19200:14:47,110 --> 00:14:51,366delta, and again, the greek alphabets are used to designate 19300:14:51,388 --> 00:14:55,240the various variants and most ofthem have no longer around now,19400:14:55,240 --> 00:14:59,352again, over the last four years, and the original form of the 19500:14:59,393 --> 00:15:03,684coronavirus is no longer around now. So we're living with the 19600:15:03,845 --> 00:15:08,953mutations, if you will, the variants of the original virus 19700:15:08,974 --> 00:15:15,169in 2020 or December of 2019. Okay, so that's why this whole 19800:15:15,269 --> 00:15:19,322issue is so important. The Center for Disease Control, the 19900:15:19,361 --> 00:15:23,951CDC, which is out of Atlanta, georgia, is responsible for 20000:15:24,451 --> 00:15:30,225policy and guidelines and rules and regulations about how to 20100:15:30,306 --> 00:15:33,977protect ourselves, both individually and collectively, 20200:15:34,499 --> 00:15:37,610and the CDC does a number of things. Many times, in my 20300:15:37,669 --> 00:15:40,299judgment, it does not get creditfor all the work that it does, 20400:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,011but it has thousands of individuals who work endlessly 20500:15:44,072 --> 00:15:48,485and tirelessly to keep us safe and we owe them a huge debt of 20600:15:48,644 --> 00:15:52,052gratitude. And therefore, specific things that the CDC 20700:15:52,092 --> 00:15:56,688does. One, it does the very detailed detection or detection 20800:15:56,769 --> 00:16:00,576processes of variants. And again, as we said, this is what 20900:16:00,616 --> 00:16:05,311viruses do they mutate, they change, they grow, if you will, 21000:16:05,672 --> 00:16:10,426to a different form to try to avoid destruction. And one of 21100:16:10,466 --> 00:16:14,715the things that the CDC does is it's on top, and has been for a 21200:16:14,735 --> 00:16:19,552long time on top, of the growth of these new barriers to make 21300:16:19,633 --> 00:16:23,245sure that we can destroy them assoon as possible. The other 21400:16:23,285 --> 00:16:26,993thing the CDC does is it provides guidelines to slow the 21500:16:27,013 --> 00:16:32,192spread of international travel. I'm sure you're aware that one 21600:16:32,232 --> 00:16:36,144of the main sources of contamination, if you will and 21700:16:36,164 --> 00:16:41,418I'm someone whose fly has flown quite frequently is flying from 21800:16:41,900 --> 00:16:45,549one country to another, flying from one city to another Both 21900:16:45,590 --> 00:16:48,957just the process of being on an airplane with a lot of people in22000:16:48,957 --> 00:16:53,333small space, which itself is problematic, and also going from22100:16:53,333 --> 00:16:57,087one environment to another environment. Many times, if one 22200:16:57,469 --> 00:17:00,515becomes contaminated and then you go back to another place, 22300:17:00,897 --> 00:17:04,576then you theoretically can become a carrier, and so it's 22400:17:04,615 --> 00:17:07,768one of the things we need to be aware of, and the CDC is very 22500:17:07,828 --> 00:17:11,599good at helping us with that. It's also very good at 22600:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,949partnering with various state and local government agencies to22700:17:14,949 --> 00:17:18,997slow the spread of viruses and,finally, it's very good in 22800:17:19,037 --> 00:17:23,213terms of support and providing smart, intelligent, 22900:17:23,695 --> 00:17:27,967scientifically based informationabout ways that we can protect 23000:17:28,086 --> 00:17:31,635ourselves individually. I think we're very fortunate and very 23100:17:31,675 --> 00:17:35,512blessed to have an organization like the CDC working with us. 23200:17:36,875 --> 00:17:40,967Another question is ARIS, again the most recent variant for the 23300:17:40,987 --> 00:17:45,880coronavirus, contributing to an uptick in COVID-19 23400:17:45,941 --> 00:17:50,018hospitalizations? And the answerto that question is yes. What 23500:17:50,103 --> 00:17:53,819are the ways we know that the coronavirus is still active and 23600:17:53,984 --> 00:17:58,173whatever form it may be? Is thatwe start seeing an increase in 23700:17:58,214 --> 00:18:01,791the number of hospitalizations, people who get sick, and they 23800:18:01,832 --> 00:18:04,805get so sick that they cannot stay at home. They have to go to23900:18:04,805 --> 00:18:07,770the hospital and obviously these are the individuals who 24000:18:07,810 --> 00:18:13,708are at the greatest risk for serious damage and or death. But24100:18:13,708 --> 00:18:16,273one of the things that's important is that, even though 24200:18:17,035 --> 00:18:23,573the most recent mutation, aris, has caused an increase, it's 24300:18:23,633 --> 00:18:27,266only been a 14% increase in the hospitalization and again, 24400:18:27,346 --> 00:18:30,753everything is relative. But a year or two or three years ago 24500:18:30,795 --> 00:18:34,430we were looking at huge increases in hospitalization on 24600:18:34,490 --> 00:18:38,558a monthly basis. So even though it's beginning to tick up a bit,24700:18:38,558 --> 00:18:43,974it's not increasing as much as we normally would see or have 24800:18:44,035 --> 00:18:48,971seen in the past with this particular virus. So one of my 24900:18:49,010 --> 00:18:53,198sense specific what I'm saying is the coronavirus is still with25000:18:53,198 --> 00:18:57,333us, the variant is still operational. The variant is 25100:18:57,413 --> 00:19:00,767causing an increase in hospitalization, but it does not25200:19:00,767 --> 00:19:06,901appear to be as serious or as dramatic an increase in 25300:19:06,941 --> 00:19:10,749hospitalization, as large an increase in hospitalization as 25400:19:11,230 --> 00:19:14,896three or four years ago, and that's a good thing. We know 25500:19:15,337 --> 00:19:19,776that frequently, trend-wise, that there tends to be an uptick25600:19:19,776 --> 00:19:25,111in coronavirus infections in the summertime. Some have 25700:19:25,131 --> 00:19:28,561theorized that that's because many individuals most of us 25800:19:28,622 --> 00:19:31,930travel more in the summertime tokids out of school or we take 25900:19:32,009 --> 00:19:36,145vacation more in the summertime to foreign countries, different 26000:19:36,185 --> 00:19:40,920states, et cetera, and that sortof causes there to be an 26100:19:41,039 --> 00:19:44,409increase. Nevertheless, we do know that this happens and it 26200:19:44,429 --> 00:19:47,925tends to happen every summer. The good news is so far and 26300:19:47,965 --> 00:19:51,478we're in summer right now is that the increase has not been 26400:19:51,557 --> 00:19:56,576as large as it has been due in other summers so far. Does 26500:19:56,718 --> 00:20:01,199heiress, this most recent variant, cause symptoms that are26600:20:01,199 --> 00:20:05,616different from other coronavirus subvariants? The 26700:20:05,656 --> 00:20:09,499good news is no, it does not, that the symptoms are very 26800:20:09,598 --> 00:20:14,441similar to what the coronavirus has created before. Why that's 26900:20:14,500 --> 00:20:19,285good is that it helps us to identify and make a diagnosis 27000:20:19,365 --> 00:20:22,496much faster. I'm sure you remember the symptoms, whether 27100:20:22,516 --> 00:20:25,395you've had it or seen individuals who've had it, but 27200:20:25,435 --> 00:20:28,565the very severe symptoms or the most common symptoms tend to be 27300:20:28,664 --> 00:20:35,481fever, fatigue and a dry cough. In general, most individuals who27400:20:35,481 --> 00:20:40,941become infected with COVID-19, regardless of the variant or the27500:20:40,941 --> 00:20:45,624mutation at the time tend to have mild symptoms in general. 27600:20:46,355 --> 00:20:49,825Again, that's probably because the majority of individuals in 27700:20:49,904 --> 00:20:54,596our country have received the vaccination and that makes it 27800:20:54,757 --> 00:20:58,184easier for them not to get as ill or to have a little more 27900:20:58,244 --> 00:21:02,397protection on board if they're exposed to the virus. About 80 28000:21:02,417 --> 00:21:06,557percent tend to have mild symptoms in general, 13 percent 28100:21:06,598 --> 00:21:11,864tend to have severe symptoms and6 percent tend to have critical28200:21:11,864 --> 00:21:15,303symptoms. Now, another reason for those variations in symptoms28300:21:15,303 --> 00:21:19,825tends to be the status, the medical status of the individual28400:21:19,825 --> 00:21:23,683. If you have preexisting medical conditions like diabetes28500:21:23,683 --> 00:21:28,499, heart disease, obesity, etc. Etc. Then that increases your 28600:21:28,578 --> 00:21:32,900risk of having more critical symptoms. Likewise, if you're in28700:21:32,900 --> 00:21:37,416the extremes of age if you're ababy or a young child, ask, and28800:21:37,416 --> 00:21:42,378someone who's over 60 years of age you too are more susceptible28900:21:42,378 --> 00:21:47,419to having the more serious symptoms. As we think about 29000:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,657COVID-19 and the more common symptoms of fever, fatigue and 29100:21:51,698 --> 00:21:55,301dry cough, let's not forget thatit also causes some 29200:21:55,342 --> 00:21:58,580gastrointestinal symptoms. There's not a lot of discussion 29300:21:58,621 --> 00:22:02,364about that, but a lot of patients have problems with 29400:22:02,443 --> 00:22:08,478stomach pains, diarrhea, cramps,etc. Etc. Let's keep that in 29500:22:08,518 --> 00:22:12,518mind as we look at the symptomatology. As we prepare 29600:22:13,298 --> 00:22:19,237for our scheduled vaccines and vaccinations for this year, most29700:22:19,237 --> 00:22:21,984of us who've been vaccinated are now just getting booster 29800:22:22,025 --> 00:22:25,218shots, because we've already been vaccinated. Now we're 29900:22:25,258 --> 00:22:27,657getting the booster shot, and the purpose of the booster shot 30000:22:27,979 --> 00:22:32,617is to keep our immunization level high. The higher our 30100:22:32,718 --> 00:22:37,082immunization level is, the more protected we are from the things30200:22:37,082 --> 00:22:39,978that the virus is trying to do to us, particularly the most 30300:22:40,138 --> 00:22:45,817recent variant of the virus, aris E-R-I-S. What we're 30400:22:45,876 --> 00:22:51,397learning is that there are threebasic viruses that usually we 30500:22:51,438 --> 00:22:55,078have to deal with now in the wintertime. Viruses usually 30600:22:55,118 --> 00:22:59,799become more infectious in the wintertime. Winter is January, 30700:22:59,839 --> 00:23:03,682february, march and sometimes inthe fall, october, november, 30800:23:03,743 --> 00:23:08,759december. Right now we're in August. One of the points that 30900:23:08,798 --> 00:23:12,215we want to make with this particular presentation is that 31000:23:12,395 --> 00:23:16,778if you already have your, you'vealready been vaccinated and 31100:23:16,798 --> 00:23:20,200you've already had your current booster. Now you're thinking 31200:23:20,240 --> 00:23:25,476about what about my booster for to get me prepared for 2024? One31300:23:25,476 --> 00:23:28,143of the points we want to make is that a number of very 31400:23:28,182 --> 00:23:32,945scholarly professors who are experts on COVID-19 are saying 31500:23:33,194 --> 00:23:37,805or have said that you don't haveto get the booster this week or31600:23:37,805 --> 00:23:43,082next week. Okay, that you can wait and get the booster in mid 31700:23:43,643 --> 00:23:48,259to late September or in October Because, remember, the booster 31800:23:48,298 --> 00:23:54,521shots are most protective of us two to three months after we get31900:23:54,521 --> 00:23:59,125the shot. So what we want is wewant maximum protection at the 32000:23:59,165 --> 00:24:02,676beginning or doing particularly those one a month. That's why 32100:24:03,097 --> 00:24:06,797that most vaccinations are givenin the fall, because we're 32200:24:06,817 --> 00:24:10,546preparing for winter, when the virus is going to be most active32300:24:10,546 --> 00:24:14,376and we're going to be most susceptible. So one of the 32400:24:14,417 --> 00:24:17,961points we want to make is and most people don't like shots 32500:24:18,434 --> 00:24:21,695that you don't have to get it this week or next week, but you 32600:24:21,756 --> 00:24:25,675do want to get your booster shotSeptember, october to get the 32700:24:25,777 --> 00:24:30,240maximum protection for the winter months December, january,32800:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,141february, march. There is no question that of the last four 32900:24:34,201 --> 00:24:37,277years, that we've all been traumatized both mentally, 33000:24:37,377 --> 00:24:42,138physically and spiritually by this pandemic and I take no 33100:24:42,179 --> 00:24:45,895pleasure in saying this but thatthe virus is still with us. It 33200:24:45,976 --> 00:24:51,064is not gone. It is less, it is more controlled, but it is not 33300:24:51,163 --> 00:24:56,365gone completely. And again we'reentering into those the time of33400:24:56,365 --> 00:25:00,063the year where it is most rampant and it is most 33500:25:00,262 --> 00:25:04,299destructive. So just keep that in mind, and my purpose for 33600:25:04,319 --> 00:25:07,702saying that is do those basic things that we all know that we 33700:25:07,742 --> 00:25:11,902should do Wash our hands, be careful in closed spaces with a 33800:25:11,942 --> 00:25:16,175lot of people and wear your mask. I'm one of those folks. I 33900:25:16,215 --> 00:25:21,502carry my mask with me and I tellmy patients and others wear 34000:25:21,542 --> 00:25:25,340your mask probably, put your shoulders back in your head up 34100:25:25,401 --> 00:25:28,280and wear it probably, because not only are you protecting 34200:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,195yourself, you're protecting those around you, whether 34300:25:31,236 --> 00:25:34,799they're able to appreciate that or not. One of the things that's34400:25:34,799 --> 00:25:38,080occurred, starting in the last two or three years with the 34500:25:38,482 --> 00:25:41,858President administration in Washington, is that we now have 34600:25:41,979 --> 00:25:45,598testing kits that are home kits,and so you can test yourself if34700:25:45,598 --> 00:25:49,135you have a question about it and send in the results, and you34800:25:49,135 --> 00:25:53,125can get those results validatedby retest or take an additional34900:25:53,125 --> 00:25:57,810test at the hospital or at yourphysician's office. It's 35000:25:57,871 --> 00:26:02,118important to keep in mind that this virus that we have, the 35100:26:02,660 --> 00:26:07,839COVID-19 virus, will mutate every single year. All viruses 35200:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,671mutate every single year. Think about the flu virus, and that's 35300:26:10,711 --> 00:26:13,577probably the one that we're mostfamiliar with. Every single 35400:26:13,617 --> 00:26:16,953year, we take a flu shot and thereason we take that flu shot. 35500:26:16,993 --> 00:26:20,321We usually take it in the fall September, october, november, 35600:26:20,609 --> 00:26:24,539december, whatever is that. We want to get our immune level up.35700:26:24,539 --> 00:26:28,134Remember it takes two to three months to get maximum protection35800:26:28,134 --> 00:26:31,102, so that we have maximum protection going until the 35900:26:31,162 --> 00:26:35,116winter months. That's why we do it that way. It would be no 36000:26:35,198 --> 00:26:39,750different with the COVID-19 virus in terms of getting the 36100:26:39,791 --> 00:26:44,605booster shot. Okay, and it's important to understand. Why is 36200:26:44,786 --> 00:26:48,837it that we have to do it that way? The reality is that the 36300:26:48,897 --> 00:26:52,708scientists and the physicians and the clinicians and the 36400:26:52,848 --> 00:26:58,218experts who create these boostervaccines. They don't know what 36500:26:58,278 --> 00:27:05,454the virus is going to be for 2024. So they're creating the 36600:27:05,895 --> 00:27:13,009booster in late 2023, but it's aguess. It is an educated guess,36700:27:13,009 --> 00:27:16,477but it is not 100% accurate because they actually don't know36800:27:16,477 --> 00:27:20,634what the variant is going to bein 2024, of what it's going to 36900:27:20,693 --> 00:27:23,527act like Because, remember, the variant's changed, thus the word37000:27:23,527 --> 00:27:28,798variant, it varies, it changes frequently to survive. So to 37100:27:28,859 --> 00:27:32,534some extent we're chasing the virus. Now. That's why we're 37200:27:32,574 --> 00:27:38,750encouraged by the fact that the variant appears to be very close37300:27:38,750 --> 00:27:42,539, symptomatically, with other variants, because we have 37400:27:43,060 --> 00:27:46,972vaccines and booster shots that can take care of that. And if 37500:27:47,053 --> 00:27:50,105it's similar, then we should be in good shape. But anything is 37600:27:50,186 --> 00:27:54,402possible is my point. Anything is possible. So what you want to37700:27:54,402 --> 00:27:57,332do is be maximally protected. You want to protect those that 37800:27:57,372 --> 00:28:01,005you care about love, one and love and you want to protect 37900:28:01,065 --> 00:28:04,656everybody. I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper.38000:28:04,656 --> 00:28:08,569That's important to me and that's a fundamental right that 38100:28:08,609 --> 00:28:13,503we all should have. Just again, before we finish, just review 38200:28:13,684 --> 00:28:17,213the way this virus is spread is with droplets, sneezing, 38300:28:17,694 --> 00:28:23,028coughing, speaking, laughing, singing, talking. So if you're 38400:28:23,048 --> 00:28:25,554in an airplane and someone is sitting in the back of the plane38500:28:25,554 --> 00:28:30,231and see 40 and they're sneezingand coughing and those droplets38600:28:30,231 --> 00:28:33,182are going straight up toward the front of the plane or 38700:28:33,262 --> 00:28:36,654somewhere around you and that's why you want to wear your mask 38800:28:36,695 --> 00:28:39,386and that's why you want to be constantly vigilant, 38900:28:39,728 --> 00:28:42,535particularly when you're in large crowds. The good news 39000:28:43,036 --> 00:28:46,942about the coronavirus or the coronavirus, is that we're 39100:28:46,982 --> 00:28:49,578getting fewer cases again because people are more 39200:28:49,618 --> 00:28:52,611vaccinated and we still want to get the ones who aren't 39300:28:52,631 --> 00:28:55,738vaccinated to become vaccinated.The different variants that 39400:28:55,778 --> 00:28:59,875occur many times can occur in different countries. Remember 39500:28:59,896 --> 00:29:03,510this the pandemic is worldwide. So even though we're dealing 39600:29:03,550 --> 00:29:08,098with the particular variant in the United States, others in say39700:29:08,098 --> 00:29:14,055, in India or in South America or Africa or Europe, the United 39800:29:14,095 --> 00:29:18,022Kingdom. They may have differentvariants but because travel, 39900:29:18,450 --> 00:29:21,636among other things, allows us togo from country to country, 40000:29:21,938 --> 00:29:27,156those variants quickly spread around throughout the world. In 40100:29:27,237 --> 00:29:30,407summary, we have been very fortunate to have had the 40200:29:30,468 --> 00:29:33,915leadership in healthcare, particularly in epidemiological,40300:29:33,915 --> 00:29:37,423pandemic type related healthcare. Like Dr Anthony 40400:29:37,462 --> 00:29:41,855Fauci, he is an icon, in my judgment, in the field of 40500:29:41,894 --> 00:29:50,313medicine and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude to thank him 40600:29:50,393 --> 00:29:53,565for all the work that he has done. We're dealing now with yet40700:29:53,565 --> 00:29:56,933another variant. This is the variant of the Omicron, which 40800:29:56,973 --> 00:30:01,923was the variant of the original COVID-19 virus from late 2019. 40900:30:02,589 --> 00:30:06,060The good news is that this particular variant appears to be41000:30:06,060 --> 00:30:11,034less powerful so far than the original Omicron variant. The 41100:30:11,094 --> 00:30:18,770name of this variant is ERIS. The technical name is EG.5. So 41200:30:18,931 --> 00:30:23,507ERIS appears to be less powerfulso far than the other variants 41300:30:23,527 --> 00:30:25,952that we've dealt with in the past, and that's good news. 41400:30:26,413 --> 00:30:29,902We're optimistic that, as we getour booster shots in late 41500:30:30,001 --> 00:30:35,498September, in October, that we should be able to do well with 41600:30:35,538 --> 00:30:40,672this new variant. If you have certain special circumstances, 41700:30:41,353 --> 00:30:45,160you may want to take your booster shot earlier. What do I 41800:30:45,221 --> 00:30:50,076mean by special circumstances? If our elderly and my definition41900:30:50,076 --> 00:30:53,804of elderly is over 60, if you have pre-existing medical 42000:30:53,910 --> 00:31:01,221conditions and also have travel plans for the fall for August, 42100:31:01,340 --> 00:31:07,097september, october you then may want to move up your booster 42200:31:07,138 --> 00:31:10,949schedule. My discussion today was about those individuals who 42300:31:11,028 --> 00:31:14,076are just the routine and don't fall into those special 42400:31:14,135 --> 00:31:18,132circumstances, and what you always want to do is just check 42500:31:18,172 --> 00:31:21,720with your healthcare provider, just ask her, tell them what 42600:31:21,759 --> 00:31:25,414your circumstances are and ask her or him what you should do. 42700:31:26,096 --> 00:31:30,391It's always important to stay upto date with the latest and 42800:31:30,431 --> 00:31:33,737what we try to do with these podcasts is provide some of that42900:31:33,737 --> 00:31:38,694with you, but always be informed. Knowledge is power and43000:31:38,694 --> 00:31:42,527that's why we do these podcasts, but if you have certain 43100:31:42,547 --> 00:31:45,934circumstances, you can. Again, circumstances meaning 43200:31:45,994 --> 00:31:51,250pre-existing conditions, elderly, very young and anything else 43300:31:51,351 --> 00:31:55,983that may make you more susceptible to COVID-19, then 43400:31:56,044 --> 00:32:00,195certainly follow the advice of your healthcare professional and43500:32:00,195 --> 00:32:04,589do accordingly. In general, we recommend, if you do not fall 43600:32:04,609 --> 00:32:09,403into those special categories, that most of you will probably 43700:32:09,442 --> 00:32:13,795be able to have those shots, probably again late September 43800:32:13,954 --> 00:32:16,962and early October. I realize that we're only talking about 43900:32:17,002 --> 00:32:19,917maybe two or three weeks difference, but again, I think 44000:32:20,358 --> 00:32:23,289the more you know how, the more important it is, the more 44100:32:23,431 --> 00:32:27,468helpful it is for you to take care of yourself. Okay, my basic44200:32:27,468 --> 00:32:31,369principles God is in charge. Principle number one I am a 44300:32:31,410 --> 00:32:35,373position of faith and I am grateful and have been blessed 44400:32:35,393 --> 00:32:40,593to have God in my life. That is why I have been able to stay 44500:32:40,653 --> 00:32:43,968healthy and do the things that I've been able to do. Second 44600:32:43,988 --> 00:32:47,445principle no bad days. I don't have any bad days. I decided 44700:32:47,486 --> 00:32:51,093about 30 years ago that I'd had enough bad days and I figured 44800:32:51,192 --> 00:32:55,326out that my day was good or bad when I said it was. So then I 44900:32:55,386 --> 00:32:58,934limited all my bad days and I now have good days and I have 45000:32:58,994 --> 00:33:02,290great days. Principle number three don't sweat the small 45100:33:02,332 --> 00:33:06,429stuff, and most stuff is small. I have learned that when I have 45200:33:06,568 --> 00:33:11,518experienced something that I perceive to be negative or a 45300:33:11,597 --> 00:33:14,771problem, that most of the time it's not nearly as important as 45400:33:14,853 --> 00:33:19,354I think it is and with a little time I figure out and I'm able 45500:33:19,394 --> 00:33:23,253to let it go. Principle number four forgiveness is therapy. 45600:33:23,765 --> 00:33:28,474That whenever, again, I perceivethat someone has done or said 45700:33:28,535 --> 00:33:32,069something negative to me, I immediately have learned, and or45800:33:32,069 --> 00:33:36,468am learning, to forgive them, and that not only is therapeutic45900:33:36,468 --> 00:33:41,114for me, but I have many times prevented the circumstances from46000:33:41,114 --> 00:33:45,220developing unnecessary, regardless of what the issue is.46100:33:45,220 --> 00:33:49,090And finally, everything is a relationships. Relationships are46200:33:49,090 --> 00:33:52,617based on three things mutual respect, mutual trust, good 46300:33:52,657 --> 00:33:56,112communication. If you have thosethree things, you have a good 46400:33:56,173 --> 00:34:00,885relationship. If you do not, youhave work to do. If you like 46500:34:00,905 --> 00:34:03,150these podcasts, I would encourage you to feel 46600:34:03,550 --> 00:34:08,786comfortable and enthusiastic about subscribing. You can go to46700:34:08,786 --> 00:34:16,719wwwbuzzproutcom. Forward slash two, one zero one, zero, zero, 46800:34:16,818 --> 00:34:24,534three. That's wwwbuzz b-u-z-z-p-r-o-u-t dot com. 46900:34:24,994 --> 00:34:30,365Forward. Slash two, one zero. One, zero, zero, three. And 47000:34:30,405 --> 00:34:36,306finally, be the change that you want to see in the world. Thank 47100:34:36,385 --> 00:34:38,371you and have a wonderful day. 47200:34:39,704 --> 00:34:41,690Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the healthy, wealthy and wise47300:34:41,690 --> 00:34:46,510podcast with Dr William Choctaw, MD. We hope you enjoy this 47400:34:46,610 --> 00:34:50,489episode. In fact, if you found this episode helpful, you can 47500:34:50,528 --> 00:34:54,795support and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast47600:34:54,795 --> 00:34:59,286platform with the key words Dr William Choctaw, and you'll find47700:34:59,286 --> 00:35:04,231it very quickly. Also, subscribing helps ensure that 47800:35:04,291 --> 00:35:08,266you don't miss any future episodes. And then takes the 47900:35:08,367 --> 00:35:12,135next step of action and share itwith your family, friends and 48000:35:12,215 --> 00:35:16,547or your coworkers. They'll be glad you did so. Until the next 48100:35:16,586 --> 00:35:21,097time, live your best possible life the best possible way. 48200:35:21,485 --> 00:35:23,809You've been listening to the healthy, wealthy and wise 48300:35:23,909 --> 00:35:26,693podcast with Dr William Choctaw,MD.